Monday, October 8, 2018

Home Entertainment Review: Skyscraper

Dwayne Johnson continues to rule the box office with his last release Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle dominating and most recently announcing a sequel. Now he is headed back to an old school action role and reteaming with his Central Intelligence director Rawson Marshall Thurber and co-stars Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Noah Taylor, Roland Møller, Byron Mann, Pablo Schreiber, and Hannah Quinlivan, but does it offer up the action fans want or will it just reach too far for the sky?

Skyscraper follows former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building ... above the fire line. If you have seen the trailer then you already know that this film has a pretty straight forward Die Hard vibe with a little Towering Inferno thrown in for good measure. Some might complain of this fact, but I have to admit the old school fun of it all worked for me. Sure the entire film is predictable and we all know where it is heading and how it’s likely to end, but it somehow still works. I was surprised how similar this film was to others, but just decided to let it go and have some fun.

​A lot of this has to do with the usual charisma of Johnson himself who brings the same thing fans want, but with the addition of his handicap adding an intersting new element. While there is nothing overly deep about the character here I have always loved that Johnson throws everything he has into every role and it always elevates what could have easily been a throwaway character. This time around he is playing in the familiar territory that we have all seen before complete with over the top and often time unbelievable action. Despite it being pretty over the top most of the action is edge of your seat and keeps you wanting more. I was a bit bummed that so many elements felt so close to the Die Hard, but with everything coming out these days it was a welcome change to get some old school action no matter how predictable it is.

The rest of the cast did a good job and it was great seeing Neve Campbell back on the big screen. She has a simple role that is amped up into the action a lot more than I had expected. This is one of those movies that isn’t looking to break the mold in the action genre and instead paying homage to the old school by bringing the fun back to it. When you head into this film just shut off your brain, strap in and have a blast and watch in on the biggest screen and loudest system you can find.

​In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including deleted & extended scenes, commentary and numerous featurettes taking you further behind bringing the adventure to life. Prepare to jump through fire when Skyscraper hits Digital on September 25th and then on 4K Ultra, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on October 9th from Universal Home Entertainment.

Review by Bobby Blakey - Bobby reviews way more movies on his own website than the genre-specific ones I post here. Check out Bobby's awesome website and his live show he co-hosts with his wife, Drusilla, at Hollywood Matrimony.